Jacy Ippolito

Jacy Ippolito received his master's and doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and his undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware's Honors Program. Prior to coming to Salem State, Jacy was a middle school reading specialist, literacy coach, and drama teacher in the Cambridge Public Schools (MA). Jacy's recent books and articles represent his overlapping interests in the roles that teachers, teacher leaders, principals, and coaches play in helping institute and maintain instructional change at middle and high school levels. For a more detailed picture of Jacy’s professional career, please visit: www.visualcv.com/jacyippolito.

Interests: School Reform, Ed. Leadership/Teacher Leadership, Adolescent & Disciplinary Literacy, Literacy/Instructional Coaching.

• View my up-to-date C.V.
• View my recent TEDx Talk
• Visit me on LinkedIn

• Co-Director of the Center for Educational Leadership at Salem State (CEL@SSU)
• Co-Director of Educational Leadership Programs (CAGS & Teacher Leadership) at Salem State

• For a full list of publications, view my up-to-date C.V.

Bean, R. M., & Ippolito, J. (2025). Cultivating coaching mindsets: An action guide for instructional leaders (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.

Dobbs, C. L., Charner-Laird, M., Ippolito, J., & Leider, C. M. (2025). Critical disciplinary literacy. Routledge Press.

Ippolito, J., & Bean, R. M. (2024). The power of instructional coaching in context: A systems view for aligning content and coaching. Guilford Press. 

Ippolito, J., Dobbs, C. L., & Charner-Laird, M. (2024). Disciplinary literacy inquiry and instruction (2nd ed.). Harvard Ed Press.

Savitz, R. S., & Ippolito, J. (2023). Case study of an SEL coach and instructional specialist: Understanding a new role. Michigan Reading Journal, 56(1), 35-49.

Ippolito, J., Swan Dagen, A., & Bean, R. M. (2021). Elementary literacy coaching in 2021: What we know and what we wonder. The Reading Teacher, 75(2), 179-187.

Fahey, K., Breidenstein, A., Ippolito, J., & Hensley, F. (2019). An uncommon theory of school change: Leadership for reinventing schools. Teachers College Press.

Ippolito, J., & Bean, R. M. (2019). A principal's guide to supporting instructional coaching. Educational Leadership, 77(3), 68-73.

Ippolito, J., & Fisher, D. (2019). Instructional leadership in disciplinary literacy. Educational Leadership, 76(6), 50-56.

Ippolito, J., Condie, C., Blanchette, J., & Cervoni, C. (2018). Learning science and literacy together: Professional learning that supports disciplinary literacy instruction for our youngest learners. Science & Children. 56(4), 91-95.

Dobbs, C. L., Ippolito, J., & Charner-Laird, M. (2017). Investigating disciplinary literacy: A framework for collaborative professional learning. Harvard Ed Press.

Charner-Laird, M., Ippolito, J., & Dobbs, C. L. (2016). The roles of teacher leaders in guiding PLCs focused on disciplinary literacy. Journal of School Leadership, 26(6), 975-1001.

Dobbs, C. L., Ippolito, J., & Charner-Laird, M. (2016). Scaling up professional learning: Technical expectations and adaptive challenges. Professional Development in Education.

Ippolito, J., Dobbs, C. L., Charner-Laird, M., & Lawrence, J. (2016). Delicate layers of learning: Achieving disciplinary literacy requires continuous, collaborative adjustment. JSD, 37(2), 34-38. 

Dobbs, C. L., Ippolito, J., & Charner-Laird, M. (2016). Layering intermediate and disciplinary literacy work: Lessons learned from a secondary social studies teacher team. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 60(2), 131-139.

Ippolito, J., Lawrence, J. F., & Zaller, C. (Eds.). (2013). Adolescent literacy in the era of the common core: From research into practice. Harvard Ed Press.

Ippolito, J., Steele, J. L., & Samson, J. F. (Eds.). (2012). Adolescent Literacy. Harvard Ed Press.

Ippolito, J. (2010). Three ways that literacy coaches balance responsive and directive relationships with teachers. The Elementary School Journal, 111(1), 164-190.

• For a full list of publications, view my up-to-date C.V.

Ippolito, J., & Bean, R. M. (2024, April). Widening our lens to consider coaching models and programs: The benefits and challenges of programmatic thinking. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), Philadelphia, PA.

Ippolito, J., Bean, R. M., & Swan Dagen, A. (2024, April). How context shapes coaching: Implications from a study of coaching during the covid-19 pandemic. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), Philadelphia, PA.

Gibbons, L., Ippolito, J., Woulfin, S. (Chairs). (2024, April). A roundtable discussion to examine a synthesis of micro- to macro-level coaching research. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), Philadelphia, PA.

Bean, R. M., & Ippolito, J. (2023, December). Interactions of content, coaching, and context in recent literacy coaching research. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Literacy Research Association (LRA), Atlanta, GA.

Noonan, J., Ippolito, J., & Charner-Laird, M. (2023, July). Leaders of learning: Adult development, teacher learning, and leadership. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the International Study Association on Teachers and Teaching (ISATT), Bari, Italy.

Ippolito, J., Bean, R. M., & Sacha, K. (2022, December). Innovations in elementary literacy coaching: Sustaining coaching practices in virtual spaces. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Literacy Research Association (LRA), Phoenix, AZ.

Ippolito, J. (2022, November). It takes a village to support a coach: Considering content and context. Presentation at Lesley University's annual Literacy for All Conference, Cambridge, MA.

Ippolito, J., Dobbs, C. L., & Charner-Laird, M. (2021, December). Understanding the systems, structures, and leadership that support disciplinary literacy professional learning in a middle school context. Presented at the Literacy Research Association’s Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA.

Ippolito, J., Dobbs, C. L., & Charner-Laird, M. (2019, October). Building K-12 disciplinary literacy instruction through teacher inquiry. Presented at the International Literacy Association’s Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA.

Ippolito, J., Dobbs, C. L., & Charner-Laird, M. (2019, June). Disciplinary literacy K-12:Connecting adult & student learning. Presented at the Annual Learning Sciences Building Expertise Conference, Orlando, FL.

Ippolito, J., & Bean, R. M. (2019, June). Coaching for school-wide change. Presented at the Annual Learning Sciences Building Expertise Conference, Orlando, FL.

Ippolito, J. (2018, July). From adolescent literacy to disciplinary literacy: A shift in policy, practice, and research. Presented at the International Literacy Association’s Annual Conference, Austin, TX.

Ippolito, J., Dobbs, C. L., & Charner-Laird, M. (2018, April). What happens when interdisciplinary teams of teachers tackle "disciplinary literacy" instruction? Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY.

Ippolito, J., Breidenstein, A., Hensley, S. F., & Fahey, K. (2017, April). An "uncommon" theory of educational leadership: Preparing leaders who can facilitate transformational change in schools. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Antonio, TX.

Dobbs, C. L., Ippolito, J., & Charner-Laird, M. (2017, April). Toward a more detailed model of professional learning within disciplinary literacy professional learning projects. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Antonio, TX.

Dobbs, C. L., Ippolito, J., & Charner-Laird, M. (2016, November). Is this literacy? Defining and redefining literacy in a disciplinary literacy professional development initiative. Presented at the annual meeting of the Literacy Research Association, Nashville, TN.

Condie, C. & Ippolito, J. (2016, November). Elementary teachers' emerging understanding of and instructional strategies for science disciplinary literacy. Presented at the annual meeting of the Literacy Research Association, Nashville, TN.

Ippolito, J., Dobbs, C. L., Charner-Laird, M. (2016, July). Similarities and differences in the collaborative inquiry of high school disciplinary literacy PLCs across four years. Presented at the International Literacy Association’s Annual Conference, Boston, MA.

Bean, R. M., & Ippolito, J. (2016, July). Ways of thinking and working as a literacy leader: Coaching for rigor. Presented at the International Literacy Association’s Annual Conference, Boston, MA.

Ippolito, J. (Chair) (2016, April). Disciplinary literacy across teacher education contexts. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Washington, D.C.

Dobbs, C. L., Ippolito, J., & Charner-Laird, M. (2016, April). When a professional learning action space closes, does teacher professional capacity survive? Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Washington, D.C.